Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-08-24

long years her ministry were forbidden th
pulpits of Great Britain. Why was it tha
so many of them preached in the fields
Simply because they could not get in th
churches. And the name of the Churcl
was given in derision and as a sarcasm
The critics of the Church said, 'sThey hav
no order, they have no method in their wor
ship:" and the critics, therefore, in irony
called them 'Methodists."
am told that in Astor Library, New
York, kept as curiosities, there are sever
hundred and seven books and pamphlet.
against Methodism. Did intolerance stoI
that church? No; it is either first or sec
cnd amid the denominations of Christen
dom, her missionary stations in all parts o.
the world, her men not only important il
religious trusts, but important also in secu
lar trusts. Church marching on, and the
more intolerance against it, the faster il
marched.
What did intolerance accomplish against
the Baptist Church? If laughing scorn and
TRADE could have destroyed the Church, il
would not have to-day disciple left.
The Baptists were hurled out of Boston
| in olden times. Those who sympathized
with them were confined, and when peti
ton was offered asking leniency in their be-
half, all the men who signed it were in.
dicted. Has intolerance stopped the Bap-
tist Church? The last statistics in regard
to it showed about thirty thousand church
es and two and half million communicates.
Intolerance never put down anything.
In England law was made against the
Jew. England thrust back the Jew and
thrust down the Jew, and declared that no
Jew should hold official position. What
came of it? Were the Jews destroyed? Was
their religion overthrown? No. Who be-
came Prime Minister of England years ago?
Who was next to the throne9 Who was
higher than the throne, because he was
a Jew. What were we celebrating in all
years ago? The one hundredth birthday
anniversary of Montefore, the great Jewish
philanthropist. Intolerance never yet put
down anything.
III. But now, my friends, having shown
you the origin of bigotry or sectarianism,
and having shown you the damage it does,
l want briefly to show you how we are to
war against this terrible evil, and think
we ought to begin our war by realizing our
own weakness and our imperfections. If
we make so many mistakes in the common
affairs of life, is it not possible that we may
make mistakes in regard to our religious
affairsa Shall we take a man by the throat,
or by the collar, because he cannot see re-
ligious truths Just as we do? In the light
of eternity it will be found out, 1 think,
there was something wrong in all our creeds,
and something right in all our creeds. But
since we may make mistakes in regard to
things of the world, do not let US be egotis-
tic, and so puffed up as to have an idea that
we cannot make any mistake in regard to
religious theories. And then l think we
will do great deal to overthrow the secta-
rianism from our hearts, and the sectarian-
ism from the world, by chiefly enlarging
upon those things in which..we agree rather
than those on which we differ.
Now, here is great gospel platform. A
man comes up on this side the platform and
says: II don't believe in baby-sprinkling.
Shall shove him off? Here is man COM
ing up on this side the platform, and he
says "I don't believe in the perseverance
of the saints Shall I shove him off? No.
l will say, ''Do you believe in the Lord
Jesus as your Saviour? Do you trust Him
for time and for eternity?" He says,
eyes" Do you take Christ for time and
for eternity9'' 'eYes." say, "Come on,
brother; one in time and one in eternity;
brother now, brother forever" Blessed be
God for gospel platform SO large that all
who receive Christ may stand on it!
l think we may overthrow the severe sec
tarianism and bigotry in our hearts, and in
the church also, by realizing that all the de-
nominations of Christians have yielded no.
BILE institutions and noble men. There is
nothing that so stirs my soul as this thought.
One denomination yielded q Robert Hall
and an AdoIiram Judson; another yielded
a Latimer and Melville; another yielded
John Wesley and the blessed Summerfield,
while our own denomination yielded John
Kuox and the Acknowledgement of whom
the world was not worthy. Now, 1 say if
we are honest and fair minded men, when
we come up in the presence of such church.
es and such denominations, although they
may be different from our own, we ought
to admire them and we ought to love and
honor them. Churches which can produce
such men, and such large-hearted charity,
and such magnificent martydom, ought to
win our affection-at any rate, our respect.
So come on, ye four hundred thousand
Episcopalians in this country, and ye eight
hundred thousand Presbyterians, and ye
two and half million Raptists, and ye
nearly three and three quarter million Meth
odists--.come on, shoulder to shoulder we
will march for the worlds conquest; for all
nations are to be saved, and God demands
that you and I help to do it. Forward, the
whole line.
Moreover, we may also overthrow the
feelings of severe sectnrianism by joining
other denominations in Christian work. l
like when the Springtime comes and the
anniversary occasions begin and all denom-
nations come upon the same platform.
That overthrows sectarianism. In the
Young Mems Christian Association, in the
Bible Society, in the Tract Society, in the
Foreign Missionary Society, shoulder to
shoulder all denominations.
Perhaps I might more forcibly illustrate
this truth by calling your attention to an
incident which took place fourteen or fif-
teen years ago. One Monday morning at
about 2 o'clock, while her nine hundred
passengers were sound asleep in her berths
dreaming of home, the steamer Atlantic
crashed into Mars Head. Five hundred
souls in ten minutes landed in eternity! Oh,
what scene! Agonized men and women
running up and down the gangways, and
olutching for the rigging, and the plunge Of
the helpless steamer, and the clapping of
the hands Of the mercilesss sea over the
drowning and the dead, threw two conti-
nents into terror. But see this brave quar-
termaster pushing ont with the lifeline un-
til he gets to the rock; and see these fisher
men gathering up the shipwrecked, and
taking them into the cabins and wrapping
them in the fannels snug and warm; and
see that minister of the Gospel, with three
other men, getting into life-boat and
pushing out for the wreck, pulling away
across the surf, and pulling away until they
saved one more man, and then getting back
with him to the shore. Can those men
ever forget that night? And can they ever
forget their companionship in peril, COM
panionship in struggle, companionship in
awful catastrophe and rescue? Never!
Neverl In whatever part of the earth they
meet, they will be friends when they men
ton the story of that awful night when the
Atlantic struck Mars Head.
Well, my friends, our world has gone
into worse shipwreck. Sin drove it on
the rocks. The old ship has lurched and
tossed in the tempests of six thousand years.
| Out with the lifeline! I do not care what
denomination carries it. Out with the life
boat! l do not care what denomination
rows it. Side by side, in the memory of
11. - l.